{"product_id":"p3981","title":"Bizen tea bowl","description":"This is a Bizen tea bowl by the late Toyo Kaneshige, the first-generation Living National Treasure and the great restorer of Bizen ware. It features the elongated \"To\" potter's mark used around the time he was designated a Living National Treasure. The surface is showered with the fine-grained *goma* (ash glaze) characteristic of this period, creating a calm, quintessential Bizen aesthetic that grows more captivating the longer you look at it. The piece also displays a masterful gradation from a reddish to a whitish clay body, with a vibrant *hidasuki* (fire cord) pattern standing out against the fresh, pale clay. True to Kaneshige’s style of reconstructing Bizen pottery while looking back at the old masters, this tea bowl is highly dignified, with a robust construction featuring a well-defined rim, tea pool, and foot. (Please note that the piece shows slight signs of use.)\n\nBoxed and signed by Kosuke (with *shihosan* and double box)\u003cbr\u003e\nDiameter 12.6cm x Diameter 12.5cm x Height 7.7cm\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n*If you prefer to pay by credit card, please contact us for assistance, as the transaction will need to be processed in multiple installments.\n\nToyo Kaneshige (1896–1967, born in Ibe, Bizen City) was the eldest son of Baiyo Kaneshige, of a branch family of the Kaneshige clan, one of the six traditional Bizen pottery lineages. He studied under his father and first gained acclaim for his handmade *hohin* teapots. From the Taisho period through the early Showa period, he conducted extensive research and successfully recreated the clay quality of Momoyama-period Bizen. It was around this time that he began using the potter's wheel and turned his focus to tea ceramics. He deepened his friendships with Handeishi Kawakita, Toyozo Arakawa, and Kyusetsu Miwa, and after the war, he expanded his artistic range under the influence of figures such as Rosanjin Kitaoji and Isamu Noguchi. For these contributions, he is known as the restorer of Bizen ware. He was the first Bizen artist to be designated a holder of an Important Intangible Cultural Property; he was invited as a summer lecturer at the University of Hawaii in 1964 and 1966. In 1967, he performed a pottery demonstration for Emperor Showa and Empress Kojun during their visit to Bizen.\u003cbr\u003e\nMajor awards and honors: Chugoku Cultural Merit Award, Sanyo Shimbun Award, Okayama Prefecture Cultural Award, Medal with Purple Ribbon, Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette.","brand":"金重陶陽","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46618558857313,"sku":"3981","price":850000.0,"currency_code":"JPY","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0654\/9916\/8865\/files\/3981.jpg?v=1790238483","url":"https:\/\/tourakuen.myshopify.com\/en\/products\/p3981","provider":"川口陶楽苑","version":"1.0","type":"link"}